Question for you: I have tried two kinds of black water media in an attempt to create a stained water look in my planted 20 gallon long tank. I tried Fluval peat granules and also Tetra black water extract. I have no chemical filtration, yet my water remains crystal clear. What gives?

Thanks

BWG

09-27-2013 09:58 PM

I have heard of the Tetra product, but have never used either one. I really can't speak for them because of that. In my tank I achieve blackwater through a combination of a lot of Malaysian driftwood that was never pre-soaked, a large mixture of Indian almond leaves and oak leaves, and occasionally I add some alder cones. Normally I would think it was carbon removing some (one reason I don't use it), but you already said you're not using chemical filtration. I'm also loathe to tell you to use more of those products because I don't know enough about that and if they have an impact on water quality such as possibly lowering the pH too much too quickly.